Sign supporting adapter



March 2, 1965 J. B. KEATS SIGN SUPPORTING ADAPTER Filed April 10, 1962JOHN B. KEATS United States Patent 3,171,626 lGN SUPPOR'HNG ADAPTER JohnB. Keats, Erie, Pa, assignor to Borg-Warner Corporation, (Ihicago, lll.,a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 186,532 2Claims. (til. 24S122) This invention relates to a sign supportingadapter.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sign supportingadapter which lends itself to mounting upon a post provided upon aground surface.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sign supportingadapter which may be assembled and disassembled with ease and facility.upon a post provided upon a ground surface.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a signsupporting adapter which is simple in construction, highly efficient inaction, and commercially feasible.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description when taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of the sign supporting adapter of thepresent invention mounted upon a post;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of the adapter and post assembly of FIGURE1 with part of the post broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral designates a hollow post which maybe fixedly positioned in a ground surface, not shown, such as a street,highway, and the like, or fixedly positioned in a weighted basesupported upon said ground surface.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, a sign supporting adapter according to thepresent invention and indicated generally by the numeral 2% is mountedupon the post 10. The adapter 29 includes a mounting element 21 which isin the form of a sleeve 22 which is closed at one end by a plug 23. Ashelf means 24 is provided on the plug 23. Projecting exteriorly fromthe plug 23 adjacent the shelf means 24 are opposed ledges 25, thepurpose of which will be subsequently described.

The post 1%, FIGURE 2, is provided with opposed seating slots 12 openingto the upper end of the post. The adapter 20 is mounted upon the post 10by telescoping the portion of the sleeve 22 opposite the plug 23 intothe post 10, and then shifting the sleeve so that its ledges 25 arereleasably received in the seating slots 12 of the post it). It is to benoted that the seating slots 12 on the post 10 and the ledges 25 on theplug 23 of the sleeve 22 of the mounting element 21 constitutereleasable interengaging means on the mounting element and the post forholding the mounting element in place upon the post.

A standard 30 is supported in the mounting element 21 for sliding upwardand downward movement with respect to said element. Specifically, thestandard 36 extends slidably through a longitudinally extending opening31 provided in the plug 23 of the sleeve 22 of the mounting element 2i,the standard 39 being fixedly held in any selected position of itsmovement by means of a securing means or screw 32 threaded into the plug23 of the sleeve 22 of the mounting element 21 and releasably engageablewith the standard 30.

The adapter of the present invention also includes a sign backing member35 in the form of a plate which is provided with a base 36. The backingmember 35, FIG- URES 1 and 3, is disposed so as to rest against thestandard 3t) and having the base 36 supported in the shelf means 24. Thebase 36 is provided with means for receiving and supporting the lowerend portion of a sign A when disposed in vertical position against thebacking member 35, shown in dotted lines in FIGURES 1 and 3, said meansembodying a groove 37 having a sloping bot tom wall 38. The standard 3t)is provided with an overhanging means or a reversely disposed hook 39adjacent the upper end thereof for embracingly receiving the upper endportion of the sign A when disposed in the aforesaid vertical position.

The backing member 35 is provided with a nub 33 which projects throughan aperture 49 provided in the sign A. The backing member 35 also has ahole 41 which is to receive a nub which may be on a sign like sign A.

Rising in a diverging direction from the standard 30 adjacent the upperend thereof are opposed sockets 45, the purpose of such sockets being tosupport flags. Specifically, the sockets 45 project in a diverging direction from a block member 46, the block member being received in aoonformably-shaped recess 47 provided in the standard 30. The block isfixedly secured to the standard by means of a screw 48, as shown inFIGURE 3.

In operation, the portion of the sleeve 22 of the mounting element 21opposite the plug 23 is telescoped into the post 10, and then shifteduntil the ledges 25 are releasabiy received in the seating slots 12 ofthe post 10. Next, the lower end portion of the standard 3% of themounting element is inserted into the opening 3-1 and slid along suchopening until the major portion of the stadard is above the plug,whereupon, while holding the standard the backing member 35 is disposedso that it rests against the standard 30 and adjusted until the base 36is seated in the shelf means 24 and the standard 35 is then secured inits adjusted position by proper manipulation of the securing means orscrew 32. A sign A provided with two holes 46 and dtla is then disposedin a sloping upstanding position and while in such position is mountedupon the backing member 35 by inserting the hook 39 in the upper hole40a in the sign A and the screw 32 is manipulated to loosen the standard36. The standard is then moved downwardly until the hook 39 is seated inthe hole lilo, the nub 33 extends through the lower hole 40 in the signA and the lower end portion of the sign A is over and adjacent thegroove 37 of the base 36, whereupon the screw 32 is manipulated totighten it against the standard 36. After completing the mounting of thesign A a flag may be inserted in either one or both of the sockets 45.

To disassemble, the lower end portion of the flag A is shifted outwardlyof the groove 37 and the lower hole 40 completely withdrawn fromembracing the nub 33, whereupon the screw 32 is manipulated to slightlyloosen the standard 30, the standard then moved upwardly sufficient topermit the sign A to be swung freely away from the standard 30, and thescrew 32 then manipulated to be tightened against the standard 30 andhold the latter at such position. The sign A is then swung outwardly tofree th upper hole 40a from embracing engagement with the hook 39. Withthe sign thus dismounted, the screw 32 is loosened slightly, the backingmember withdrawn from the shelf means 24, and the standard 39 withdrawnfrom the plug 23 of the mounting element 21. Finally, the mountingelement 21 is manipulated until the ledges 25 are completely withdrawnfrom the seating slots 12 of the post It), and the released mountingelement 21 is then wholly withdrawn from the post 10.

To mount a sign A having no holes therein, on the thus-describedadapter, the nub 33 is removed trom the backing member 35 and then thesign A is disposed in a vertical position and While in such position itis mounted upon the backing member 35 by inserting the lower end portionof the sign in the groove 37 of the base 36 with the sign A bearingagainst the backing member 35. While holding the upper end portion ofthe sign A against the backing member 35 the'screw 32 is manipulated topermit the standard to be slidably moved until the hook 39 embracinglyengages the upper end portion of the sign, and finally the'screw 32 istightened to securely hold the standard 34) in the adjusted position.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a hollow post fixedly positioned upon a groundsurface, said post having opposed seating slots opening to the upper endthereof, a sign supporting adapter comprising a mounting element in theform of a sleeve which is closed at one end by a plug, a shelf means onsaid plug, opposed ledges projecting exteriorly from said plug adjacentsaid shelf means, said mounting element being disposed so that theportion of the sleeve opposite the plug is telescoped into said post andshifted until said ledges are releasably received in said seating slots,a standard supported in said plug for sliding upward and downwardmovement with respect to said plug, securing means carried by said plugand engageable with said standard for holding the latter in any selectedposition of its movements with respect to said plug, a sign backingmember in the form of a plate which 2. The combination according toclaim 1 wherein said base means embodies a groove having a sloping basewall, and said overhanging means embodies a reverselydisposed hook.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,359,492 Demuth Nov. 23, 1920 1,435,379 Connery Nov. 14, 1922 1,683,921Ross u Sept. 11, 1928 1,799,314 Pfaff Apr. 7, 1931 "2,022,160 Sorensen'Nov. 26, 1935 2,050,579 Murray Aug. 11, 1936 2,123,329 Combs July 12,1938 2,202,237 Sullivan May 28, 1940 2,552,745 Stanley May 15, 19513,058,246- Schoefller Oct. 16, 1962

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A HOLLOW POST FIXEDLY POSITIONED UPON A GROUNDSURFACE, SAID POST HAVING OPPOSED SEATING SLOTS OPENING TO THE UPPER ENDTHEREOF, A SIGN SUPPORTING ADAPTER COMPRISING A MOUNTING ELEMENT IN THEFORM OF A SLEEVE WHICH IS CLOSED AT ONE END BY A PLUG, A SELF MEANS ONSAID PLUG, OPPOSED LEDGES PROJECTING EXTERIORLY FROM SAID PLUG ADJACENTSAID SHELF MEANS, SAID MOUNTING ELEMENT BEING DISPOSED SO THAT THEPORTION OF THE SLEEVE OPPOSITE THE PLUG IS TELESCOPED INTO SAID POST ANDSHIFTED UNIT SAID LEDGES ARE RELEASABLY RECEIVED IN SAID SEATING SLOTS,A STANDARD SUPPORTED IN SAID PLUG FOR SLIDING UPWARD AND DOWNWARDMOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID PLUG, SECURING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID PLUGAND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID STANDARD FOR HOLDING THE LATTER IN ANY SELECTEDPOSITION OF ITS MOVEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO SAID PLUG, A SIGN BACKINGMEMBER IN THE FORM OF A PLATE WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH AN ELONGATEDHORIZONTAL BASE DISPOSED SO THAT THE PLATE RESTS AGAINST SAID STANDARDAND HAVING THE BASE SUPPORTED IN SAID SHELF MEANS, MEANS ON SAID BASEFOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING THE LOWER END PORTION OF A SIGN WHENDISPOSED IN A VERTICAL POSITION AGAINST SAID BACKING MEMBER, ANDOVERHANGING MEANS ON SAID STANDARD ADJACENT THE UPPER END THEREOF FOREMBRACINGLY RECEIVING THE UPPER END PORTION OF SAID SIGN WHEN DISPOSEDIN THE AFORESAID VERTICAL POSITION.